Flags of Our Fathers

Three weeks ago was Flag Day. Tomorrow is Independence Day. And smack-dab in the middle of these patriotic celebrations was Ditch the Confederate Flag Days.

Last month, in the wake of yet another "random" event that seemingly happens regularly - the killing of nine people in a shooting at a historic black church in Charleston, S.C., allegedly by an individual with strong racist viewpoints, the author of a manifesto targeting blacks, Jews and Hispanics on his Web site - a national push to remove the Confederate flag from public sites in southern states not only gained momentum, but resulted in said action.

State leaders across the south took up the debate over the prominence of the Confederate flag in their states following a sudden swell of support for removing the Confederate flag from the State House grounds in South Carolina. Heck, South Carolina Republican State Sen. Paul Thurmond - son of longtime U.S. Senator and segregationist Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond - looked past his own ancestry and said the "time is right" to remove the symbolic flag from above the statehouse one day after Gov. Nikki Haley and Sen. Lindsey Graham called for its removal.

In Mississippi, GOP House Speaker Philip Gunn said it was time for his state to change its flag, which includes the Confederate insignia - a sign of the slave-holding South. And in Alabama, Gov. Robert Bentley ordered four Confederate banners taken down from a large monument to secessionist soldiers outside that state's capitol.

"This is the right thing to do,” Bentley said. “We are facing some major issues in this state regarding the budget and other matters that we need to deal with. This had the potential to become a major distraction as we go forward. I have taxes to raise, we have work to do. And it was my decision that the flag needed to come down."

The action to remove the flag was as sudden and unexpected to observers as was the dismantling of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Both came after years of debate, discussion and inaction, and when they did come down, it was sudden, swift and celebrated by the masses.

Well, most of the masses.

It's still a volatile situation. The KKK has scheduled a protest rally for Charleston on July 18th, two weeks from now. People are upset the campy 1980s TV show The Dukes of Hazzard has been removed from syndicated broadcast. Walmart, Sears, Amazon and eBay are among the national merchants that have removed the Confederate flag from their shelves. And southerners are still trying to cling to whatever elements of "pride" they have from a Civil War lost some 150 years ago.

Here's a novel idea: You lost. Get over it.

THE FINE FIVE - JULY 3, 2015:

(1) Less than 15 hours after I posted my comments about the Detroit Tigers - specifically, this part:

If anyone can explain logically why Joba Chamberlain and Tom Gorzelanny are still on the roster, please tell me. 

guess who was DFA (designated for assignment) by said team? Yep, Joba and Gorzo. {No, I don't believe for a second that my blog post last night led to today's decisions.} A pair of young guns are coming up form the minors to replace them in the bullpen. We'll see what happens.

(2) There is nothing in the world like a good massage.

(3) June 30th was the six-month anniversary of my purchasing a 2015 Toyota Prius. It was my second car purchase (specifically, my second Prius purchase) in the 18 months after my beloved 1997 Toyota RAV4 died. The move was unconventional for me in many ways - I had never before traded in a vehicle that was not paid off in total; I had never purchased a car whose model year was after the year in which I purchased it; and I had never negotiated so adamantly. The final sales price was where I wanted it to be, not including the extended warranty I added on (I felt it was worth the investment). Because it has the Detroit sports icons on the rear window, it's still relatively distinctive in Palm Beach County. So, "Let's Drive Red Things" ... for another 15 years or so would be nice!

(4) It's weird not being "actively active" with high school debate for the past three weeks. Next week, I start contacting incoming first-year debaters, and I've spent a few hours since returning from Dallas working on debate paperwork. But for the most part, it's been a debate-free block of time. No, I'm not complaining.

(5) My Twitter followers @MotownStrong jumped by around 30 today. (Partially by political pundits who saw I started following every presidential candidate.) I see you, 1,000 mark!

FOODERCIZE FOR JULY 3, 2015

Weight: 246 (down three from Sunday, June 28)

Steps Taken: 8,359

Miles Walked: 3.78

STUPID NEWS OF THE DAY:

From Reuters: "Meditating Portuguese actor mistaken for terrorist on Paris plane" - I hate when that happens.

FLORIDA NEWS OF THE DAY:

From The Miami Herald: "Dwayne Wade, Miami Heat reach one-year, $20 million deal" - Only one. Not two, not three, not four, not five ...

WEIRD NEWS OF THE DAY:

From ABC News: "Hot Air Balloon Mishap Shows Pigs Can't Fly" - They're hitting the ground like bags of wet cement! Oh, the humanity!

VIDEO OF THE DAY:

Remember Chernobyl?

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE DAY:

"One Step Up," Bruce Springsteen